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Transforming mining with technology: Modular and reconfigurable robots for safe underground exploration. Discover the Robominers project!
Mining is one of the key sectors for industrial development and must become one of the cornerstones in the fight against climate change. Electric car batteries, solar panels and many other technologies fundamental to the energy transition depend on the extraction of raw materials whose demand could increase sixfold by 2040, according to the International Energy Agency.
However, some veins in the bowels of the Earth are difficult to access and their extraction has, in many cases, negative consequences. Therefore, new, safer methods are needed to extract resources without risk to humans and without damaging the environment. Since 2019, members of the Robominers project have been working on this, an initiative that aims to develop bioinspired, modular and reconfigurable mining robots. Your mission? Reach small, hidden mineral deposits safely and with minimal impact on the surface.
The project has the participation of the Higher Technical School of Industrial Engineers and the Automation and Robotics Center (CAR) of the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM). Claudio Rossi is the project's lead researcher and responsible for coordinating the consortium made up of different institutions and entities, with the participation of 14 partners from 11 European countries.
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“The ultimate idea is to provide sustainable sources of raw materials used everywhere, including in cell phones, computers and cars. For this, the most logical option is to send robots.” Its applications can also facilitate work in difficult environments and assist in the development of new industries, such as space mining.
Mining robots
From the beginning until the end of the first research phase, which took place in November 2023, the objective of the Robominers project has been to create a prototype robot capable of autonomously exploring all types of underground and submerged mines in water. The first experiments have already been carried out in abandoned mines in Estonia and Slovenia, where some of its key functions were tested.
To build these first prototypes on a 1:1 scale, operated remotely, the initiative's technicians and engineers were inspired by the movements of animals such as fish, insects and worms, each with unique properties to move in difficult-to-access environments, such as underground galleries. .
The final idea is that the robots can be transported by modules to the target area through a large diameter well drilled from the surface to the mineral deposit. Once all the parts have been sent underground, the robot will self-assemble to form a fully functional device capable of detecting minerals through specialized sensors and artificial intelligence software to make decisions without human supervision.
Thanks to their tools, chosen according to the needs and type of rock present in each vein, these robots will be able to produce a mixture of water and minerals, which will be pumped and processed at the surface. If necessary, robot parts can be reconfigured during operation and even self-repair in the event of failure or malfunction.
3D Maps
The first prototypes can operate in environments one to three meters wide and are capable of precise excavations and reducing waste. The final design of the robot includes a kind of 'whiskers', similar to those of a mole, with which the machine is able to touch the walls and obstacles it encounters to build a 3D model of the extraction area. This is a key development for the autonomous navigation of these devices.
“You can tell us that there is a wall here, a rock here, a tunnel to the left…”, says Rossi. In fact, some of the elements that have already been used at the site are sensors capable of analyzing the composition of the rocks and the quality of the materials, vital information for deciding in which direction to excavate.
In experiments carried out in 2023 in Estonia and Slovenia, the robots were subjected to rigorous conditions, including underwater drilling. “Most of the key components of the robot were tested at a water pressure of approximately 100 bar. This means that the machine would be capable of operating up to 1.000 meters deep”, explains the professor and deputy director of CAR.
Now that the first part of the project is complete, there is still a long way to go for Robominers to offer a viable alternative to making mining invisible and safer. According to Rossi, it will be necessary “to wait 3 to 4 years to integrate artificial intelligence into the robot, around a decade for it to be fully functional and perhaps 20 years for this prototype to be commercialized”.
